Emperor of the Source

"1 billion UNI-Coins. First call…"

Without paying any attention to the tense exchanges between the four sect leaders above, Edmund continued to conduct the auction, his voice carrying clearly across the entire venue.

Adrian watched from his suite. The auction had already exceeded his expectations. Even the lowest estimate he'd considered had been shattered minutes ago.

"Second call…"

Edmund's voice stretched across the silence.

Then—

Nightshade responded, his bid appearing instantly upon the central projection. "1.1 Billion."

From the Ashen Vortex Sect's suite, Ignis's aura flared briefly, heat rippling through the barriers. "You truly believe you can outlast me?"

Nightshade did not respond. The silence itself was answer enough.

Morwenna's bid appeared next, "1.2 Billion."

Balthazar's counter appeared before Ignis could respond, "1.3 Billion."

His voice followed a moment later, "Ignis, your flames burn bright, but they consume quickly. Perhaps you should consider whether you have enough fuel for what comes after."

From there, Morwenna and Balthazar joined the contest once more, and the price continued to climb, though no longer with the explosive jumps seen earlier. The bidding advanced in measured increments, each increase deliberate and calculated, until the value gradually reached 1.5 billion UNI-Coins.

Beyond that point, however, the pace slowed noticeably. Nightshade raised the bid again, this time with more control. "1.55 Billion."

The number hung in the air. For the first time since the bidding began, there was a pause that stretched longer than a few seconds. The audience stirred, uncertain whether this represented a turning point or merely another breath before the next escalation.

Ignis answered soon with his bid, "1.6 Billion."

This time, even Ignis did not raise the price with the same aggressive leaps as before. The earlier dominance he had attempted to establish was now replaced with calculation.

Nightshade followed once more. "1.65 Billion."

At that moment, both Morwenna and Balthazar withdrew from the bidding entirely, choosing not to push further. Their auras receded, no longer pressing against the venue. The gesture was deliberate, a clear signal to the remaining two competitors.

This was not due to any lack of resources. None of the four sects present were incapable of continuing the bidding war. Each of them could push well beyond two billion if they chose. The reason lay deeper, rooted in the broader implications of the situation unfolding before them.

In the Grave-Sky Sect's suite, Morwenna's pale fingers traced the edge of her armrest. Her voice emerged, "Let them devour each other. We will feast on what remains."

To the entire Andromeda Galaxy, this ring had become more than a mere artifact. It had become a symbol, a crown that represented supremacy. Whichever sect claimed it would inevitably demonstrate superior wealth, pushing their UNI-Market Index above the others and breaking the long-standing balance between the four dominant powers.

But beneath that surface, a harsher reality existed. This very outcome carried consequences.

If one sect rose above the rest, the others would not remain idle. For millions of years, these four upper minor sects had maintained an equilibrium, their influence and market index nearly identical. If one attempted to ascend beyond the others, the remaining three would inevitably retaliate.

Such retaliation would not be minor. It would lead to war. A true war between the four strongest sects in the galaxy would not be a minor conflict. It would consume unimaginable resources, devouring wealth at a scale measured in billions. Every decision made within this auction now carried consequences far beyond the artifact itself.

Every one of the four sect leaders understood this. That understanding was precisely why none of them could spend recklessly. No matter how valuable the artifact was, they could not exhaust their resources here. A war between them would require billions upon billions of UNI-Coins to sustain, and any miscalculation could prove fatal to their sect's survival.

Even Ignis, despite his aggressive demeanor, was not blind to this reality. It was this shared understanding that slowed the bidding, transforming it from a display of dominance into a careful and strategic exchange.

Still, Ignis pushed forward. "1.7 Billion."

The number appeared upon the massive holographic display above the stage, its sheer magnitude leaving the majority of cultivators completely numb. For most present, such an amount was beyond comprehension, something they would never encounter in their entire lives.

"1.7 billion UNI-Coins. First call…" Edmund announced, his voice carrying the same professional calm it had maintained throughout.

This time, even Nightshade did not respond. A mocking smile spread across Ignis's face, clearly visible to the other sect leaders. He leaned forward in his suite, heat radiating from him in waves that distorted the spatial barriers. He believed he had seized control, that the momentum had shifted in his favor.

His voice emerged, dripping with satisfaction, "Silent at last, shadow? Have you finally recognized your limits?"

Nightshade remained motionless in his suite, his expression unreadable. Beside him, Elder Kaevryn watched the display with narrowed eyes but said nothing.

Morwenna's soft laughter drifted across the venue, barely audible yet carrying clearly, "How predictable."

Balthazar's rumble followed, "The fire burns brightest just before it consumes itself."

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Nightshade, Morwenna, and Balthazar didn't react much after this. They already understood what was unfolding. If Ignis secured the ring, he would gain an undeniable advantage in personal power and influence, but at the same time, he would also deplete a significant portion of his sect's resources. In the inevitable war that would follow, that loss of liquidity would place him at a disadvantage.

However, none of them underestimated him. Even with reduced funds, the possession of the artifact itself would enhance Ignis's personal strength considerably. In that sense, it was not a straightforward loss or gain, but a shift in balance.

"Second call…" Edmund continued.

The pause stretched longer this time. The entire venue seemed to hold its breath.

Ignis's smile deepened as his thoughts moved far beyond the present moment. He was already envisioning the future. Once he secured the artifact, his sect's UNI-Market Index would rise sharply. With that elevation, he could leverage his existing hidden connections with a major sect to obtain a UNI-Credit Card with greater limits. With both enhanced personal power and expanded financial reach, he believed he could dominate the coming war with ease. He envisioned a future where the Ashen Vortex Sect would dominate the Andromeda Galaxy entirely.

He had been maintaining this connection with the major sect just for a perfect time like this. To the other sect leaders, this was the start of a conflict. To Ignis, this was the beginning of conquest.

His fingers drummed against his armrest, each tap deliberate, rhythmic. Victory was within reach. All he needed was for Edmund to speak one more time.

Edmund raised his hand, preparing to deliver the final call.

The auctioneer's mouth opened—

The central projection flickered.

The 1.7 billion bid vanished, and in its place, a new number appeared.

3 Billion UNI-Coins!

For a single instant, the entire venue froze. Millions of cultivators stared at the projection, their minds unable to process what they were seeing. Even the four sect leaders were momentarily caught off guard, their attention snapping toward the new bid.

Who?

The question echoed silently across the hall.

Within the Ashen Vortex Sect's suite, Ignis's expression twisted instantly. What should have been his crowning moment had been stolen in an instant. Rage surged within him, uncontrollable and violent. Without restraint, he unleashed his Peak Rule Stage domain, allowing it to expand outward and crash down upon the entire venue.

Across the auction venue, millions of cultivators gasped, their bodies buckling under the sudden authority pressing against reality itself. Spatial barriers rippled. The air grew thick, resistant, as if existence itself had become heavier.

His seventy percent authority pressed against every cultivator present, suppressing them with overwhelming force. Until this moment, even in their clashes, the sect leaders had limited themselves to aura alone. Domains had not been used, and authority had remained restrained. Even among the crowd, those who activated their domains had done so only defensively, restricting their influence to their immediate surroundings.

What Ignis did now was different. He used authority to suppress the entire venue.

Within the UNI-Auction, such an act was a direct violation of the rules enforced by the UNI-Sect.

The UNI-Enforcement guards in the central stage stepped forward immediately, their formations stabilizing the surrounding space. While the general crowd struggled under the pressure, the guards or individuals like Adrian, Hestia, and the other upper minor sect leaders remained largely unaffected.

Before the current situation could escalate further—

Another domain appeared.

It rose from the lower sections of the audience, expanding outward until it engulfed the entire venue. It collided directly with Ignis's domain, forcing a violent clash that rippled through the air like a shockwave.

Ignis felt truly stunned seeing this domain. His seventy percent authority collapsed to thirty-five percent under the opposing pressure. But it was not merely the presence of another Peak Rule Stage domain that stunned him, but rather it was the difference in authority.

The opposing domain still wielded fifty-five percent authority after the clash!

Adrian activated his Source Eyes briefly, just long enough to perceive the structure beneath. His vision was flooded with information. The opposing domain was composed of multiple arcane concepts woven together with Fire, Ice, Boundary, and something else he couldn't immediately identify.

But overall, the pressure this concept emanated was something Adrian was familiar with. An Ultimate-tier divine concept!

Adrian deactivated his Source Eyes and leaned back slightly.

All upper minor sect leaders of the Andromeda Galaxy kept calling themselves peak rule stage beings, but they were truly not the strongest ones, even within their stage. They merely wielded mid-tier divine concepts, which, even at peak comprehension, granted only a maximum of seventy percent authority.

But someone wielding a high-tier or ultimate-tier divine concept would have much higher authority when they are just in the peak rule stage. And what Ignis was facing was not merely a mid-tier divine concept, rather it was an ultimate-tier divine concept!

Ultimate-tier divine concepts stood at the true peak of power, and their raw authority was ninety percent, far above the seventy percent wielded by those who had mid-tier divine concepts.

Within his suite, Ignis staggered. He knew that in this clash of thirty-five percent versus fifty-five percent, his inferior mid-tier concept would relentlessly bleed away, chipped down to nothing by the overwhelming superiority of the Ultimate-tier domain. He wasn't just outbid financially; he was completely outmatched in the very fabric of reality.

Then, the figure appeared. He stepped onto the stage as if the surrounding protective formations did not exist, bypassing them effortlessly. His golden robes flowed softly around him, and his appearance resembled that of a composed, middle-aged humanoid man.

For a brief moment, his gaze shifted upward. It locked directly onto Ignis.

The Ashen Vortex Sect leader froze.

In that instant, Ignis felt an overwhelming force crash down upon him. His body buckled, and he was forced to his knees, blood spilling from his mouth as he struggled to resist.

Ignis attempted to deploy his authority techniques in defense, but it was instantly negated, overwhelmed by the surplus authority the unknown figure wielded.

Adrian watched without expression. This was merely a direct authority command using the surplus authority to compress the space around Ignis's body, creating a localized pressure.

"Stop—" Ignis choked on the word. More blood spilled from his lips.

The unknown entity didn't move or speak. His expression remained perfectly neutral, as if he were observing something mildly interesting but ultimately inconsequential.

This is where the true horror of the Ultimate-tier concept revealed itself. Because the unknown entity started with ninety percent authority, they only needed to commit seventy percent to completely match Ignis's maximum output. Even if that split as thirty-five percent versus thirty-five percent initially, this still left the unknown entity with a massive twenty percent surplus authority that remained entirely free, untouched, and uncontested by Ignis's domain, which he could use to do anything.

Across the venue, silence fell. Even Nightshade, Morwenna, and Balthazar had withdrawn their auras completely, choosing to remain still within their suites. Figures like Yselia paled as they witnessed the scene unfold. The reality of the universe revealed itself in that moment, vast, merciless, and far beyond the scale of their understanding.

Within the Crimson Vital Sect's suite, Hestia did not panic, but the reality of the universe's vastness pressed heavily upon her.

Adrian, however, remained calm. To him, the Ultimate-tier concept was not incomprehensible or overwhelming. He could see its structure clearly now; the fourth concept clicked into place as he observed longer. Not just Fire, Ice, and Boundary. There was Continuity as well, the same arcane concept he'd used in his own teleportation spell.

Below, Edmund stepped forward and bowed deeply, a perfect ninety-degree angle, a level of respect he had not shown even to the four dominant sect leaders.

The UNI-Sect operated across the universe, and of course, their employees would be trained to recognize and respond to major sect representatives.

Straightening, Edmund announced clearly, "This is an Envoy representing a Major Sect from beyond the Andromeda Galaxy."

The meaning settled heavily across the venue. The four sects that ruled Andromeda were powerful, but in the greater scale of the universe, they were insignificant before the true giants.

For most, that realization brought fear. For Adrian, it brought anticipation.

This envoy... represented the true threshold he intended to cross!